What size tank is you tang in

[shades_of_blue]

I have heard many conflicting opinions on what the responsible size for a adult tang, bristletooth species aside. Some say 180g minimum, which seems fair for the fish. But you here many people keeping them in 55g up to 100g tanks. Is that good for the fish? some people i know that have tangs in 75g's say their tang is 4 years old and is only 4 inches long and they say he hasent grown in over a year. He seems to be happy but i'm not a fish.
thanks for your opinions

[CoralReeferGal]

I think it overall depends on what type of tang. We had a scopas, which we kept in a 55. I believe they are the smallest tang (not positive on that one though, but they are on the smaller side) Our LFS is very very knowledgeable in both SW and FW and always ask what size tank you have and how long its been established when you purchase fish from them. They have refused to sell some fish to people before, depending on tank size and what else is in the tank, so I do trust their judgement. They said a scopas in 40 gal or up (maybe 55, but I'm pretty sure it was only 40. regardless, they sold it to us for our 55) Any other tang they have there, they recommend 120+

[guy9smiley2]

Scopas can get 15" and require a 100g tank
http://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productdetail.asp?did=1&cid=287&pid=885

I personally have a sailfin in a 10g.

[CoralReeferGal]

hmmm maybe it wasnt a scopas we had then...

[Ostara]

Normally I'd push triangles instead of bringing it up but I'm just going to throw this out there since I've seen the OP all over the place today (around 50 posts in fact)...

You know that it's 50 posts and 90 days to see the sale forums, correct? You've only been a member since May. You won't be eligible until August, no matter how many times you post. ;)

[shades_of_blue]

yes thats true but i can pm people at 50 is that correct? also i have truly attempted to add something, not just bs.

[geaux xman]

I have my tangs in my sig in a 5ft 180. ideally, i think 6ft+ for a large active tang. Im hoping to upgrade later.

[Ostara]

Unless it was recently changed, you can PM at ten posts. :facepalm:

Considering that you've spammed the boards with over 50 posts in one day though, you might not even have that many once a mod gets a hold of them. I'd quit it before one of them decides that you need to have your posting privileges temporarily disabled. They don't take kindly to that sort of thing. Just giving a heads up.

[bluewater921]

i have a 180 with tangs .. would not go any smaller due to tangs do grow big and fast ...

[Rreef]

Just because you CAN do something doesnt mean you SHOULD do something.

If you place 3 tangs in a 28g nanocube, and they live for 2 years, do not think that it is ok to do so!

A dog can live in 3ft x 3ft box for its entire life. That does not make it right!

Tangs need LARGE tanks. People lie to themselves and tell themselves whatever they have to so they can put more and more tangs in smaller and smaller aquariums.

If a tang in small (less than 2.5") you can probably keep him happy alone in a 6ft/2ft footprint tank. Any larger, and he needs an 8ft tank. For the large tangs, you really need 1000+ gallon tanks. Usually 12 feet.
And even at 12 ft for the large tangs its too small, but realistically its what we can usually have maximum.

[Joe0813]

i have a yellow eyed kole tang in my 75. 4 foot tank, he does good in there.... i do want to upgrade to a 220 some day and have multiple tangs. powder blue tangs are my all time favorite... i love the color. and i also want a purple tang too. :)

[smaggard]

My wife and I have a yellow and a blue tang in a 125, they were in a 75 gallon but we felt they were getting to big for the 4 foot swimming lane and opted to upgrade to a 6 footer and they seem a lot happier now.

[mgraf]

IMO a lot of the Tang controversy is brought about by the LFS. I have seen a lot of reef tanks through friends and local fish club. There are a lot more tangs for sale out there than there is 180 gallon tanks.
I also believe it is true that people with large tanks like to put themselves in some elite level. IMO, if a 24 x 24 x 48 box is too small for a fish, does it really make it "the right size" by adding another 24 inches. If you can't have a dog in a 3x3 box, is a 4x4 box then OK?
In the grand scheme of things, all tanks are too small, and we are all too cruel by taking them out of the ocean and putting them in a box. But, then again since when have humans done the right thing for the planet?
This whole discussion has been beat up too many times. Some reefers are better than others because they trap there fish in a bigger box than others.

[Touring]

IMO a lot of the Tang controversy is brought about by the LFS. I have seen a lot of reef tanks through friends and local fish club. There are a lot more tangs for sale out there than there is 180 gallon tanks.
I also believe it is true that people with large tanks like to put themselves in some elite level. IMO, if a 24 x 24 x 48 box is too small for a fish, does it really make it "the right size" by adding another 24 inches. If you can't have a dog in a 3x3 box, is a 4x4 box then OK?
In the grand scheme of things, all tanks are too small, and we are all too cruel by taking them out of the ocean and putting them in a box. But, then again since when have humans done the right thing for the planet?
This whole discussion has been beat up too many times. Some reefers are better than others because they trap there fish in a bigger box than others.

your right. Only the sea is the right size for any fish. RELEASE THEM ALL :ape:

[tmz]

A couple ofthings:

Here is the RC chart on tangs and tank size recommendations:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1946079

Note ,the recomendation for a scopas is 75 gallon minimum. The vendor in the link cited has it wrong. Scopas don't get anywherer near 15 inches. Scott Michael ,a respected autority and atuhor notes in his book "Reef Aquarium Fishes" pg 391...maximum length 7.9 inches. I have kept one for over 5 years, it is a beutiful mix of brown and black, not at all like the picture posted in the link.

Folks can post as much as they want if the posts present or elicit information.

[BigKahuna]

I have a 10 y/o Blue Hippo. He was in my 75 since he was barely bigger than a silver dollar and needless to say got quite a bit larger. I decided to upgrade to a 150DD which is only 3ft but I rockscaped it so all the rock is away from the glass and he can swim a circular path all the way around and that is exactly what he does. He's way more active in the 150DD than the 75 even though it was 4ft, also the diagonal of a 3x3 tank is about 4ft. I know it's not supposed to be ideal to have him in a 150DD but he seems happy and much more active. That fish has seen the tank go from F/O ->FOWLR->mixed reef->the upgrade to the 150DD so I don't want to get rid of him. He's always been an aggressive sucker though and has to be the biggest and the baddest in the tank. He killed a decently sized clown trigger that was bigger than he and only eats meat and turns he nose up on nori. I've never seen a tang not like nori.

[CoralReeferGal]

Note ,the recomendation for a scopas is 75 gallon minimum. The vendor in the link cited has it wrong. Scopas don't get anywherer near 15 inches.

Actually, from the research I did last night after wondering if ours really had been a scopas, they "can" reach 15 inches, but rarely get bigger than 8. So technically, it is possible, just very uncommon. They may reach 15 in the wild, but captive, typically don't get bigger than 8 inches.

[Badbrad8500]

+1 on it depends on the type of tang. Some tangs seem to need more room (like acanthurus genus fishes; Powder Blue/Brown, Achilles, etc) simply to swim. Of course, the monsters like the Unicorn obviously need more room because of their size. I have a Yellow, Powder Blue, and Hepatus in a 115g and they seem generally happy, but I'm upgrading to a 150g to fit in a Naso. I find LiveAquaria's tank size recommendations to be accurate for me.

[Phantom54]

i have a blue tang 3-4" and a powder brown about 3-4" in a 6 foot 135 just $0.02 seems to be doing fine one swims around the koralia powerhead about 12 hrs a day

[Ambition]

Tank size depends on the tangs full adult size and swimming behavior. Tangs like nasos naturally get huge, so they require the biggest of tanks. This is why you usually only see them in public displays. Achilles tangs, smaller sized tang will need a fairly large tank. Not because of their size, but because of their swimming behavior. They come from areas in the ocean where there are really strong currents and having to weave through rocks to avoid crashing waves. Even when in the home aquarium, they exhibit this behavior because it is instinctual.

IMO, tanks look better with a bunch of smaller fish as opposed to a few large sized fish. You get more color and overall movement with small fish than you do bigger fish within the same sized tank.

[Reefahholic]

I have 33 blue hippo tangs in my 20 Long and they seem to be doing fine. :)

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f236/JaredJHarms/Hippotangs.jpg

[Regf]

I have 33 blue hippo tangs in my 20 Long and they seem to be doing fine. :)

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f236/JaredJHarms/Hippotangs.jpg

Lol awesome :)

[tmz]

Actually, from the research I did last night after wondering if ours really had been a scopas, they "can" reach 15 inches, but rarely get bigger than 8. So technically, it is possible, just very uncommon. They may reach 15 in the wild, but captive, typically don't get bigger than 8 inches.


Scott Michaels is a respected athuority on Marine fishes. He and the other references I've read say an ultimate size of 20cm. What did you read,by whom? They are not in the same league size wise and the sailfins which go to 40cm.

[CoralReeferGal]

Scott Michaels is a respected athuority on Marine fishes. He and the other references I've read say an ultimate size of 20cm. What did you read,by whom? They are not in the same league size wise and the sailfins which go to 40cm.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+43+381&pcatid=381 "max 1 foot long"

(my LFS) http://www.thatpetplace.com/Zebrasoma-scopas-tang-211532 (under specs) "max size 15in, most under 8"

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/Surgeonfish/Scopas-Tang.php
"The largest scientifically measured Scopas tang was 40.0 cm / 15.7 in"

there's 3 references off the top of my head. I'm not really looking to argue at all here, I do agree they seem to be a smaller species of Tang; just pointing out that its possible, though very unlikely, they can get big.

[tmz]

....only eats meat and turns he nose up on nori. I've never seen a tang not like nori.

That's common for Paracanthurus Heppatus (Hippo/ Pacific Vlue Tang) . They are primarily carnivorous unlike other tangs. They need meaty food. They exhibit a greater carnivorous appetite as they mature. My 8 year old Hippo won't touch nori either . Some will attack corals. The other 6 surgeon fish I keep gobble it up.

[tmz]

Thanks for the links. The one does cite the largest scientifically measured scopas ever at 15.7 inches. Never saw that before There are people who are 8 feet tall but not many . I suppose anything is possible. Plan on an 8 inch fish max.